A brand new, recording facility opened at BIMM Birmingham at the beginning of this academic year, with an Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition console at its heart. The purpose-built facility was designed from the ground up, combining the talents of college principal, Antony Greaves, UK studio design and building company The Studio People, BIMM Tutors and some of us here at Audient, and has been fully and continuously operational ever since.
The studio provides Music Production degree course students with the opportunity to apply their skills in a professional-level recording environment
The studio – together with studio tutor, Steve Osborne (who has produced/worked on tracks by U2, Happy Mondays, Massive Attack) – provides Music Production degree course students with the opportunity to apply their skills in a professional-level recording environment. Music Production Course Leader & Tutor, Dr Paul Rogers (pictured) confirms, “It is primarily used for educational purposes, but a range of commercial and outreach projects are also being recorded, including a new single for a DJ and orchestra group, and various student commercial bands which are being developed concurrently with their studies.”
The studio’s inaugural recording session at the tail end of the year was the recording of the Fire Tones’ rendition of Do They Know It’s Christmas, (read more about that here) demonstrating the faculty’s commitment to realising the studio’s full potential from the outset. “It is also used with other courses as an introduction to studio session playing and will also be utilised in our forthcoming Music Production Diploma which launches this year.
Dr Paul Rogers: “BIMM Birmingham is committed to keeping pace with current industry trends in music technology”
“We have also had some high profile guests visiting the studio and providing hands on masterclasses for the students through the desk, including world renowned mastering engineer Mandy Parnell and producer Romesh Dodangoda, who has worked on many successful releases for artists such as Motorhead, Bring Me The Horizon and Funeral For A Friend.”
Fully satisfied with the large format console, BIMM Birmingham went on to invest in 45 Audient iD4 USB audio interfaces for their Mac suites. “We use iD4s in combination with iMacs, MIDI keyboards and Ableton Push Controllers. The iD4s are great for quickly plugging in our Large Diaphragm Condenser mics and monitoring through the Beyer Dynamic headphones. These are accessed by almost every degree course at some point,” explains Paul.
“We have been developing contemporary production workflow environments as well as utilising the enduring traditional recording studio model”
Compact though they may be, the iD4s incorporate the renowned Audient console mic pre, ensuring students get the Audient sound both in the studio, as well as in the Mac lab. Indeed this aligns with the educational facility’s outlook, as Paul explains: “BIMM Birmingham is committed to keeping pace with current industry trends in music technology and we work hard to reflect this in maintaining the latest gear and approaches to recording and production.
“We have been developing contemporary production workflow environments as well as utilising the enduring traditional recording studio model. We are also expanding our ability to provide immersive sound environments including 7.1 surround systems and ambisonic recording technology and continue to have our ears to the ground to discover the latest innovations and media formats.”
The future looks to be packed with great initiatives at BIMM Birmingham too. Examples are full-day recording sessions as part of a ‘Rethinking Education’ event; Experience Day events to create sound to moving image projects and further masterclasses, including some sessions being organised with Black Sabbath’s producer, Mike Exeter and many others.
Lots to look forward to then – Audient wishes you all the best.
